


Better Late Than Never

by tomanonuniverse



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Assassination Attempt(s), Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, F/M, Gunshot Wounds, Love Confessions, Major Character Injury, Near Death, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-15 16:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19299196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomanonuniverse/pseuds/tomanonuniverse
Summary: And Markus does look out. Immediately, he spots the gun raised from within the crowd. But the weird thing is, he doesn't move. He just stares at the to-be-assailant with wide eyes and stands where he is at the podium. And North wants to scream because why isn't he moving if he knows there's a threat to his life?A loud bang pierces through the air.





	Better Late Than Never

**Author's Note:**

> Because there isn't nearly enough Jorth content out here and I wanted to write something semi-sad, lmfao.

North never thought things would ever be going great between androids and humans. Yet she seemed to be constantly proven wrong. 

It's been two, coming on three years since their pacifistic revolution. One North never thought would get them anywhere. But here they were.

North was in charge of New Jericho. Simon was taken under Elijah Kamski's wing and turned into a proper CFO, soon to be CEO when the time comes, for the newly founded Cyberlife. Connor still worked at the Detroit Police Department, happy as ever with his father Hank and his younger brother Richard at his side.

Markus was still their leader but now he had Josh at his side to help him with politics and things North didn't really look into anymore. The thought of the tallest android in their little group of Idiots In Charge brought a smile to her face, no matter how hard she'd deny it if anyone had ever asked.

She and Josh were on very different sides during the revolution. She remembers the things she used to say to him and is instantly filled with regret. Back then, he always looked out for her, despite their differences. He still does. She wished she had learned to do the same faster than she did.

_ 'Better late than never,'  _ North thought. She found that she clung to that statement often. Better be treated as equals late than never. Better make amends with those she wronged late than never. Better kiss Josh's stupid, dumb face late than never.

She never expected to get involved with that tree of an android. But with how much he cared about her, she was bound to start caring back. And then she slowly did more than care. She learned not to mistake his kindness for weakness and his opinions for attacks. She saw the strength in how gentle he was despite  _ everything  _ and eventually began to admire him.

She smiled a little wider, replaying the memory from this morning in her head. They'd woken up earlier than they needed to and just held one another, Josh playing with her hair while she traced  _ I love you _ s on his bare back. North never thought she'd ever be able to achieve this sort of intimacy with anyone and felt her chest swell, both proud of herself and hopelessly enchanted by how perfect Josh is.

Eventually he'd kissed her forehead and forced himself up. After all, today was another important event. Markus was to give a speech at Capitol Park, the very park he had vandalized, as it was the anniversary of the day they had freed androids from shops. Markus was going to be on stage and Josh was going to be right behind him.

She was also informed that Elijah and Simon, in addition to Chloe, would be there as well. They had to be; the shops raided that night were Cyberlife's after all. Connor and Hank were to be there too, as their feat of freeing the androids from the warehouse later on was not forgotten either.

There were so many people she cared about on that stage. Maybe that's why she couldn't simply shake off the feeling that something was  _ wrong. _

The moment Markus started talking North felt her back straighten. She stared at the television, news broadcasting the speech live as it went. She felt something tug at her very core like it was trying to tackle her. Her fists clenched and she stared at the screen like a hawk, unease only getting worse and worse as Markus delivered his speech.

Then she saw it. Someone within the crowd began to reach inside their suspiciously large jacket. That wouldn't be a cause of any concerns on a regular day but it seemed like Connor was just as on edge as she was because he cuts Markus off mid-speech to yell out a loud  _ "Markus, look out!" _

And Markus  _ does _ look out. Immediately, he spots the gun raised from within the crowd. But the weird thing is, he doesn't move. He just stares at the to-be-assailant with wide eyes and stands where he is at the podium. And North wants to  _ scream  _ because why isn't he moving if he knows there's a threat to his life?

A loud bang pierces through the air.

North's eyes remained glued on Markus for a second before confusion overtakes her. The leader is unharmed, save for an absolutely horrified look on his face. He's still standing. He's safe.

It's Josh who goes down.

His head whips away from the audience, the force of the bullet sending him tumbling onto his front. The sound of his body hitting the stage is what snaps the crowd into action. The screams set in and people begin to panic and run, almost making it easier for the perpetrator to get away from the scene.

She doesn't see Hank rounding up civilians and taking them to safety. She doesn't see Connor jumping off the stage and making a beeline towards the shooter. She doesn't see Elijah shoving Chloe and Simon behind him like he's some sort of meatshield. She doesn't even see Markus, who runs and kneels next to Josh, shaking him.

She only sees her lover lying face down on some stage in a pool of his own blood.

She doesn't register Markus dragging his limp body away to safety, her eyes only focused on the trail of Thirium following them. Then someone's shaking her, and she sees multiple androids that were also watching the broadcast staring back at her in terror. They're saying things to her, but she can't quite hear them.

"Go," is the only thing she catches from one of them, "I'll hold the fort here."

And that's all she needed before she was out of New Jericho and  _ running. _

A part of her is telling her that she shouldn't abandon New Jericho like that, that she should stay and keep the peace; it was her  _ job _ . But another part of her was screaming  _ JoshJoshJoshJosh _ and that part won. She's running for what seemed like an hour before she realizes she doesn't know where she's going.

She establishes a connection with Markus, lucky that he was somehow closeby, and only said one word:

_ Where? _

In response, Markus sends her coordinates. She immediately changes her track and starts sprinting even faster that before. She doesn't even realize she'd arrived until she sees the back of Elijah Kamski's head where a stupid manbun sat. She speeds up, and her footsteps alert them.

Markus intercepts her from barreling through all of them and grabs her by the shoulders. She looks over him, eyes searching but never finding what she was looking for. Her eyes snap to Markus's and her eyebrows furrow into a desperate expression. "Where is he?" She finally dares to ask. Just as Markus opens his mouth to answer, an android technician walks out, taking off thirium covered gloves.

"He's stable," they say before anyone asks. "He lost quite a lot of blood but we were able to save him in time. His left optical unit is completely destroyed, though it can be replaced. Moving it in his current state would have been too risky." They turn to North and nod knowingly. "Had the bullet been shifted the slightest bit upwards, I'm afraid there would be nothing we could do. His systems are still registering our repairs but I expect he'll wake up soon. You can go see him."

They all run past them like a stampede and burst through the room. Josh is lying there, one side of his head completely wrapped in gauze. North can't help but think about how  _ human _ he looks and wonders if the human who shot him ever thought about something like that.

Nobody stops her when she takes a seat next to him and grabs his hand within her own. Chloe only puts a comforting hand on her shoulder and whispers  _ He'll be okay  _ through a short connection. North hears the door open and two pairs of footsteps enter the room. She doesn't give a damn, until one of them speaks.

"How is he?" Connor asks urgently.

North's head whips towards him. "Did you catch him?" She asks instead, ignoring his question. "Did you catch that—"

"We got him, and we interrogated him," Hank reassures her. "He confessed easily," he adds through the awkward silence. Markus looks away from Josh like he's ashamed and clenches his fist, eyes downcast but gaze angry. "This wouldn't have happened if he wasn't standing behind me," the android leader hissed.

"I'm afraid not, Markus," Connor says like he's admitting it. "Had he been standing anywhere else, the outcome would have still been the same." All heads in the room turn to him. North furrows her brows. "What do you mean?" She asks. Connor glances at his father and sighs, turning back to North.

"This wasn't a failed attempt at Markus's life," Connor explains. "This was a targeted attack. That bullet was meant for Josh."

Without realizing it North is squeezing Josh's hand harder and staring at Connor with wide eyes. A million reasons run through her mind.  _ Because he's important, because he's a political figure, because he's Markus's friend, because he's an android.  _ It still doesn't stop her from asking:

" _ Why?"  _ She says desperately. "Why would anyone try to kill Josh? Do humans really hate us so much, no matter how peaceful we are?" She pretends that her voice isn't thick with emotion and her vision isn't blurred by tears. Hank sighs and clears his throat slightly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"That's another thing," the old human starts, "the shooter wasn't human."

North's jaw drops. "What are you saying?" Simon demands, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "Are you saying the shooter was one of us? An android?" The cops don't vocally answer, but Connor nods solemnly and does his best to avoid eye contact, knowing what the next question would be.

North stands from next to Josh and walks to Connor. "What was the motive?" She questions, fists clenched at her sides. She ground her teeth, feeling unbelievable betrayal from her own kind. Hank looks at the troubled Connor and sighs. He opens his mouth to answer, but his son does it for him.

"He said he did it for  _ you." _

North blinks.

"He said he believes  _ you _ should have been Markus's right hand," Connor explains, brown eyes staring deep into hers with so much sympathy she could choke on it. "That Josh doesn't deserve his position. He said that he would drive android-kind into the ground with his pacifist values and that you were the truly correct one all along."

The WR400 doesn't realize she's stumbling until Markus is behind her, steadying her. "North, this isn't your fault," Simon starts immediately, cupping the redhead's face and trying to get through to her. She doesn't seem convinced, tears running down her face as she stares ahead at nothing while the words swam in her head.

Her lover almost died because of her. She nearly got him  _ killed. _

"Well, this sucks," Josh murmurs. 

It takes a moment for everyone in the room to register who it was that spoke. In an instant they're hounding him, North back at his side and holding his hand like it was her lifeline. "I'm sorry," she sobs hysterically, "Josh, I'm so sorry—"

Josh places a hand on her cheek and smiles. "Its okay, North," he reassures, and she wants to scream that  _ it's not _ but she doesn't because he's still talking. "It wasn't your fault, okay? It  _ isn't _ your fault. Things like this are just going to happen from time to time," he says, caressing his lover's tears away.

And she knows he's right, that's why she cries harder. He grabs her into an embrace and holds her, not realizing he himself was shaking at the mere prospect of not being able to have her in his arms again. He talks privately with the other androids in the room and nods to Hank and Elijah, who curtly nod back.

The rest of them leave so the lovers can have their private moment. He runs his hands through North's hair and whispers sweet nothings out loud. Slowly but surely she calms and the room is engulfed in nothing but silence. "So do I get a cool eye like Markus or what?" Josh jests, just trying to lighten the mood.

North tightens her grip onto him. "Don't joke about it, please," she mutters weakly. North doesn't say  _ please _ so Josh sighs and holds her closer. "Sorry," he apologizes. He shifts slightly and makes space for her. Wordlessly, she climbs onto the bed and settles in next to him, relishing the rise and fall of his chest that keeps him ventilated and prevents him from overheating.

"I love you," she tells him, instead of tracing it silently. The thought that Josh could've died without hearing it from her lips sends her into a spiral, so she thought to tell him now. She feels his breath halt for a moment. Then, he smiles and kisses her forehead, just like this morning. "I love you too," he replies, clutching her close to him like a treasure.

Better late than never, she supposes.


End file.
